Thursday, January 17, 2008

A big sorry to those who read in a reader. I have been having my images & bandwidth [amongst other stuff] pinched by people. Leeches. I thought that it would be better to put images back up but they were swooped upon again. So now I am trying the Ban Hotlink method. Which, has the obvious drawback of images not showing via the Readers. Le Sigh.

As I said, OMG the Internetz Dramaz!

So, Oh Wise One's... What do you recommend I do?

A/ Remove the hotlink protection and just go with the flow?B/ Leave it and see how many people complain bitterly that they had to click through?C/ Give up and don't worry about it?

I've been buying on Ebay for 7 years and never had a parcel go missing in transit until now :-( Bummer. I've never seen this particlar item before either, a miniature replica racing helmet. Seller was great though and refunded straight away, so no probs apart from not getting it. Oh well, maybe I could just buy the helmets blank and paint them to suit.

OTOH, I did just grab a wooden plan cabinet for $31- that matches the new drafting table top and work desk tops that Hubby just made for me. The others were either too large or too small. So,that's worked out well. It has wheels too! I can also plonk my lightbox on top of it and free up some space as well. Bonus!

I also got an invitation from an online Artist gallery which is local, so accepted that. Hopefully we get the new digital camera next week and the photogs in the family can take photo's of artwork to upload.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

the things you find when you open boxes that haven't been opened for the last 4 moves! [pre 2000 at least] I was just going to chuck them but then thought I'd better see what treasure I had buried in the shed. Wayne Gardner and Max Biaggi stickers and stuff from ages ago as well as some mags that had Wayne Gardner, Kevin Magee and Daryl Beattie articles in them. I can't believe how young they all look. A black leather jacket I wore when I was in my Madonna phase LOL A pink holden jacket we got in Ballarat while we were visiting friends.

Also in there was a menu I pinched from a restaurant that Zamm and I ate at in Burbank while I was there. I did tip well though *g* Mickey Mouse ears I got at Disneyland and Lord of the Dance programmes. Weird badges I bought for Gawd knows what reason at the Star Trek casino in Vegas. Along with seventy billion keyrings. The snow goggles I bought immediately after getting off the ski lift while I was still in a state of panic. Because OMFG I can't see and I was in the air and Dad grabbed my backpack tilting me forward and I thought I was going to be a freaking news story. Mum & Dad still laugh at me about that, it's the $200- Impulse buy story.

From my childhood a ten pin bowling badge and softball trophies along with ribbons for 100m and the 4 x 100m relay. Along with photo's of me wearing the neck brace, 12 months of living in the tropics with long hair and a neck brace still makes me shudder.

A kookaburra [stuffed toy] that a friend gave me at least 30 years ago and my treasured Tenderheart Care Bear that I thought I'd lost in a move. I even bought a replacement on Ebay not long ago :-) My wetsuit I always wore while waterskiing[ never gonna fit in that again! LOL] and my gloves from speedway.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Sacred Geometry and Sacred Numerology is involved in what I'm working on now as a series. Basically. It's a bit more complicated than just saying it flippantly though. My biggest problem last year was defining what direction I wanted to go in. I got stuck in a loop of my making.

Some pieces will be on kangaroo vellum. Some on modern paper vellum from Spicers and some will be on Arches watercolour paper. All will have gold or palladium, silver sometimes but that will be sealed. Gouache or watercolour depending on the image. I always use watercolour pencils first to do the base image.

A lot of people asked if my art was religious and that had me a bit freaked. Not particularly, but I'm drawn to Iconography and Art before the Renaissance, Byzantine and Gothic to be specific as well as Celtic. I also love Art Noveau and Art Deco works. I love tattoos and in another life probably would have been a tattoo artist.

I'm not discussing my spirituality or religious beliefs through art, that wasn't my focus and I struggled with that. I also didn't want to be seen disrespecting any religion as I am not a political artist either. So, feedback good or bad is welcome, I don't get offended easily as long as it's honest. Art is subjective.

Anyway, images and wip's and parts of my paper process journal will start appearing here again now that I have defined what I'm doing in my head. Once I have it more solidified I'll put it here. I'm redefining myself and moving away from web design, which while more lucrative doesn't call me as much as traditional art. I have one large corporate client site to finish then I can move over completely.

Probably why Zentangles appeals to me as a relaxation tool rather than the scrunched paper method for inspiration. I doodle all the time anyway but Zentangles are more structured.

I tend to perfectionism especially in my artwork. Lines and colours etc have to be right and some pieces have been ripped up and/or done multiple times before it's right enough for me. A lot of people express horror if an artist rips stuff up but a process journal can only hold so much LOL

Life has been chaotic with all the comings and goings and people's perceptions of me. I am not a cookie cutter Mum. I connect with my kids with the exception of one. I don't know why, but I just don't meet what she thinks a Mother should be. And that makes me sad.

But, I am who I am and 3 think I'm a great Mum. It's taken a long time for me to accept that she'll always be looking for the perfect Mother ideal she holds. She got imperfect me who just doesn't behave the way she wants and I have to stop trying to be that fictional person.

I wrote this to focus myself and make sure I don't forget the direction. I don't like a lot of chaos, some I can handle but the jumble of life and what other people want me to be or think was too much for me in the last couple of years. So, please excuse the rambling while I redefine and sort my life back out. Thinking about how I feel instead of what I'm expected to feel, say or do.

Anyway, I have to go put my Mummy cape on as D3 is having a friend drama!

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Air conditioning YAY! We just got back from Phillip Island, talk about stinking hot. Had a good time though, took the kidlets to the Penguin Parade and to the Nobbies. Saw lots of motorbikes, penguins, seals, rabbits and a brown snake EEK! Photo's tomorrow as I am hot, tired and sunburnt.

well, the corner known as Siberia at the track at Phillip Island anyway LOL

I has been a busy bee. After a loooong time of having lots of people here we are finally down to 5 people in the house. So, I decided that before we go on holiday and then move in a month or 2 to have a huge spring clean and rearrangement of living space. We moved my workroom back to it's original room now that we have space. Ahhhhh, I feel like I can breathe again.

I've been feeling much better recently as I feel comfortable in my own home again and don't have to hide upstairs in our bedroom to get away from everyone. D2 is looking for a flat with her mates, is settled at work and has a new bloke. I feel much better about leaving her here by herself. She hasn't had any major seizures since she's been on the medication, so one relaunched from the nest successfully.

There's been some developments with the eldest but not in a good way, I am not happy about that. I can't fix it, so I have to let it go. Working on that. Think Britney.

We had the Grandsons come to visit for 5 days, we had fun. Entertaining little boys, they are *g*

Also, the friend that screwed me over last year and to whom I have not spoken too since, sent me a happy happy text message for the New Year WTF?????? Righto mate. Yeah, like I'm going to let you back into my life to be used all over again. No.

We're taking off for a week to Phillip Island to stay in a cabin to recover from the holiday season. I haven't stayed at this place, so hopefully it will be nice. Pretty much the last spaces available due to summer, test days etc

We're doing the penguin parade and stuff like that, I'll get to do the girl on car bonnet pose watching the testing. Sea air, sunburn and windburn all at the same time. Fun.

I have some work to finish off and my Server Host has had some issues over the last month that when I get back late next week I'll have to go through and repair each client.

I've had time to make some necklaces and beads from polymer clay. It's very therapeutic to knead the clay instead of someone's head. LOL I've learnt a lot of techniques from one lady's blog in particular. She has great video tutorials and her necklaces are easier for me to work out how to make with my stiff joints. If your interested in clay go here I'm mucking around with a variation of her Mokume Gane technique. very pretty.

Thankfully my creative block has lifted and I am painting again as well. Phew. This is the longest period I have gone without being able to finish artwork. Some have been tossed in the bin but I still have a pile that will work and be able to finish them.

I made new cushion covers from felt and blanket stitch even!

While I'm away I'm working on a new design for the blog to match my site but be different. Yes. I know what I mean. In my head that sentence is fully formed and coherent. Obviously my fingers need to work on their translation skills. heh.

My New Years resolution is to not stress about stuff, Let it go. Relax. Chill. So far it's been working.